


broken bones (shredded soul)

by erickawrites



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blackmail, Child Abuse, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Minor Character Death, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, Underage Drinking, Underage Sex, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-21 21:56:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14294322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erickawrites/pseuds/erickawrites
Summary: It's been seven hundred and sixty five days and Eddie Kaspbrak can't help but think he's going to die in this room.It's been one thousand and one hundred forty seven days since he saw Richie Tozier and he still loves him just the same.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> hello to all!  
> this will be my first time writing something and posting it online so i hope you all enjoy my work.  
> follow my tumblr @ericka-writes

_It was cold and dark. He was laying in a bed that was unfamiliar yet it made him feel so uneasy. The place was eerily silent that it was as if the air in this tiny room was suffocating him. He wanted to sit up but he couldn't move his body. He can feel his heart beating rapidly against his chest. He shut his eyes tightly, trying his best to calm down. A heavy weight dropped itself on his chest, making it harder for him to breathe. Suddenly, a shriek filled the atmosphere. The voice made his blood run cold; he didn't know what to do. He was trapped, caged inside his own body. He yelled and yelled but no sound came out of his mouth._

 

_"What do you think you're doing, Eddie?" the voice slurred, "Thinking of going back to that rascal? No. You're going to stay here, with me."_

**_Eddie._ ** _That was his name._

_"He's bad influence, Edward. He infected you with his disease. Not to worry, the doctors will fix you."_

_Eddie. **No, that's not his name.**  _

_"You know what will happen if you go back to those miscreants, Eddie-bear. Listen to me."_

**_No No No No No_ **

_"Don't worry, Eddie. When I come back, you'll be good as new. It's okay, you'll be okay."_

 

 

* * *

 

His eyes were already open when the loud buzzing interrupted the silence he was surrounded by. A few minutes after that, keys jingling to open the door was the noise that occupied his ears. His eyes slowly trailed towards the door, meeting the eyes of the nurse he had ever since he can remember. Dianne was her name, she had dark curly that she liked to tie into a messy bun. She's thirty two years old; twelve years older than him and insists on treating him like a baby. 

"Hey, Stranger." she greeted him with a smile, something he didn't return. It made Dianne's warm grin fall, making him feel guilty. With a sigh, she placed the tray of food she was holding on his bedside table and sat by the foot of the small bed. She gave him a small smirk and asked, "How about a little game, yeah? I know you like this game."

He was silent for a moment, then he nodded. Knowing his competitive side, it made her smile as she counted it as a success on getting him to do something productive for the day. Starting with something easy, she asked "How about you tell me what you dreamt of this time huh?"

He was still, not knowing what to say. He racked his brain for anything that he could remember before finally saying, "It was dark and cold, felt like I was trapped.”

Dianne hummed before asking "Is that all?" Eddie wanted to say no; he wanted to tell her about his dreams, the shrill voice, the feeling of drowning but instead, he settled with "I remember strawberries and cigarettes.", making her smile widely. It came from a dream he had the other night and unlike his recent dream, everything was warm and peaceful.

"Strawberries and cigarettes, huh? Think you used to smoke?" Dianne lightly teased him before standing up, taking the tray of food and settling it on his lap. The tray consisted of a banana, a small packet of bread, some eggs, a water bottle and the small cup that had his medicines. Eddie sighed, "I highly doubt that." 

"Come on, cheer up a little. Dr. Green told me he has something important to tell you." she said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Who?" he mumbled as he sat up, rubbing the exhaustion out of his eyes. Dianne eyed him before sighing, "Dr. Green, honey. He's in charge of the whole hospital." 

"Wash up afterwards then head on to his office, okay?" she called out as she walked out the door, leaving Eddie alone. 

With him all alone, it gave him the time to think about what Dr. Green could possibly want from him. He was a quiet patient, not like the others who would cause such a ruckus. He can be trusted to take him medicines and be left alone, so Eddie was just confused why the head of the hospital would want to see him. The only time he ever saw the doctor was seven months ago, when Eddie had woken up from a therapy they had conducted. From what he could gather, his old doctor was an asshole and did the method wrong so as a result, he fell into a coma and woke up with no memory of his life before that day. Sometimes, he wonders why he's even in this hospital. He doesn't look like a lunatic nor does he act or think like one but then again, that is what a crazy person would say.

After his breakfast, he cleaned himself up and walked towards Dr. Green's office. He knocked softly on the door, opening it when he heard a 'come in'. He peaked in before entering the room, walking towards the doctor. He wasn't alone. A woman was seated on the chair beside him, She looked well put together, professional; her hair in a neat ponytail and a briefcase right beside her. The doctor stood up, "Eddie, this is Mrs. Gomez. Mrs. Gomez, this is Eddie Kaspbrak."

Eddie reached forward to shake the woman's hand. He sat down as Dr. Green pointed on the chair behind him. 

Green looked at him and said, "Do you remember when you woke up from your therapy seven months ago? We told you that the doctor assigned to you did the procedure wrong causing your body to react so badly that you fell into a coma." when he nodded, the doctor continued "And you lost all of your memories because of it, yes?" he nodded again "Eddie, the truth is you've been checked into this facility three years ago. Your mother insisted that you needed proper treatment because you've been infected by some kids back in your hometown. A doctor named Henrik Weltch checked on you" He handed him a picture of the man, "Do you remember him?"

_"Stay still, you little faggot. Your mother paid me good money and I intend on getting more of it."_

"No." Eddie said, shaking his head hastily.

With a sigh, the doctor continued "Well, your mother and Weltch happen to be friends with the same mind, she paid him a lot of money and in return, he would do these methods on you, treatments, shock therapy to be exact, and medicines that weren't prescribed for you to take." the knowledge made him touch the scars on both his temples.

Eddie shook his head, "My mother insisted that I get treatment even when there isn't anything wrong with me? Why?" 

Doctor Green looked at him with sympathy in his eyes, "We don't know for sure but we think it’s because she thought with the treatments she made Weltch do, you can convert back to your 'true-self' as your mother had put it. She thought with the medicine, you wouldn't be infected." 

Eddie took a deep breath "Correct me if I'm wrong but did my mother pay that man to torture me into turning straight?" 

"Unfortunately, yes. It’s a good thing we found out what he's been doing to you. We caught him and sent him to jail, where he deserves to be. And you would have been released seven months ago but we didn't want to risk your mother sending you into another facility. Not to worry now, it’s not a problem anymore. Mrs. Gomez?" the doctor turned to the woman beside him.

"Hi, Eddie. I'm your mother's lawyer. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but your mother died last week because of a heart attack."

After the words mother and died came out of the lawyer’s mouth, Eddie didn’t hear another word. Everything was moving so fast, one minute he’s convinced that he’s crazy and the next they tell him that he’s not so crazy. He had a mother, and now she's dead. Eddie doesn't know if he should be happy or sad because his mother is dead. From what he's been hearing so far, his mother checked him into a mental health facility even though he's perfectly fine, she paid money for a guy to torture him and she wouldn't give a shit that the doctor was in jail already, she would willingly check him in another asylum. So, yeah, his mother sounds like a bitch and he doesn't know what to feel about that.

"This means everything she owns, according to her will, will be given to you. That means the house in Derry, Maine and everything that she owns; money, jewelry, everything. And I checked in with Doctor Green and he says that you do have G.A.D. but you don’t have any major mental illnesses that we could consider you mentally incapable of deciding what's best for you so it would be okay for you to sign these." she finished handing him the documents and a pen to use. So, his mother is bitch but a rich bitch?

Eddie didn’t know what to do, to say or to think but he knows one thing; he wanted to get the hell out of this place. So, He took the papers and signed. 

 

Eddie thinks the system is kind of fucked up, like he spent seven months from what he remembers and three years from they told him, in this place. One way or another, wouldn’t that turn a person a little bit psychotic? He saw what they do to the people who have truly lost their minds, it’s _fucked up._ What if he was crazy all along? What if he was broken and didn’t know how to fix him? What if he was just really quiet and they didn’t pay attention to him?

He was packing up the very little things that he had when Dianne walked into his room.

"So, you're really leaving, huh?" she said with a smile on her lips "Im happy for you, really."

He sighed, "I don't even know where I'm going, Dianne. I don't know anything or anyone. I don't even know where I'm going to live. I'll probably be living in the streets after I leave." That's not exactly true, his mother did leave him a ton of money according to the Mrs. Gomez.

"Wait." she said before digging into his suitcase. She stopped when she saw a small green handbook, opening it and looking for something. "Aha!" she said, pointing at a page "Mike Hanlon, sounds legit. Come on, let’s call him up." she tease, bumping her shoulder with his. He may hate this place, but he will surely miss Dianne. He stood up, closing his suitcase, and walking out of the room he occupied for three years.

They walked to the front desk, picking up his papers and calling 'Mike'. Dianne told him he should be the one to call the guy but he insisted that she talked to him instead. He felt uncomfortable talking to a person he didn't know. As he anxiously waited for Dianne, he began to have a debate whether she should hang up on him or not.

 

_Good Morning, this is Dianne from The Sisters of Merciful Angels. Is this Mr. Mike Hanlon?_

**_Yeah Hi, This is him. How can I help you?_ **

_Sir, Do you know anyone named Eddie Kaspbrak?_

**_um Eddie? yeah why?_ **

_Well, sir Would it be okay for you to pick him up? He's being released today and he doesn't have a place to go._

**_....._ **

_Sir?_

**_What kind of game are you playing? Do you not have any respect?_ **

_I'm sorry, sir? I don't understand._

**_Eddie's been dead for three years. We know that, we had our peace with that. What do you think you'll get from this?_ **

_Sir, Im so sorry if I offended you of any sort but Mr. Kaspbrak is alive. He's been with us for the past three years. I don't know who told you that he's dead but he's alive and well. Would you like to talk to him?_

**_Can I talk to him?_ **

_Of course, sir. Please keep in mind that he's gone through a lot and he doesn't remember anything from the last twenty years. He doesn't remember you as well._

**_Okay._ **

Dianne turned to him, "He wants to talk to you" his eyes widened, slowly talking the phone with his shaky hands. He cleared his throat before saying "Hello?"

 

**_Eddie?_ **

_Um, Mr. Hanlon, I would understand if you don't wa-_

**_Oh my god, Eddie, It is you._ **

_Um, yeah, it’s me._

**_I don't understand, Sonia said you were dead. She said you had cancer or some shit?_ **

_Who's Sonia? Oh wait, my mother. Right._

**_Yeah. Where are you? I’ll pick you up._ **

_Uh, talk to Dianne_

 

And with that, he gave the phone to Dianne. As it turns out, Mike was four hours away, being in New York.

Dianne told me that they were in Boston, How in the hell did he end up in Boston?

Hours have passed, Dianne did her best to check up on him but she had to work or else she'll get fired. The girl at the front desk turned on the radio at some point. After a hurricane of high pitched pop songs, the soft tune of an acoustic guitar filled the waiting room Eddie was sitting in. The voice was deep and a little rugged, it felt so familiar. He can feel his heart wanting to burst out of his chest. The song continued on, he can feel himself slip into oblivion. 

_Laughter; the atmosphere was filled with laughter and joy. It was new for Eddie to feel this way. It was odd because for the last seven months, all he dreamed about was that shrill voice and the emptiness he feels in his heart. He felt free, like he could fly along with the birds on the sky. He can move, feel the grass and dirt beneath his feet._

_"Come on, Eds! Stop being a pussy!" A voice screamed at him, the voice was followed by a group of laughter. He turned towards the noise, wanting to see who was talking to him._

_"Oh my fuck, Kaspbrak! Hurry up and jump already!" "Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!" "Come on! What a chicken!"_

_"Alright, you fuckers!" he took a deep breath and jump off the cliff, landing on the murky green water. He swam towards the surface, gasping for air. Arms wrapped around his waist and a wet kiss was placed on his cheek. "I knew you could do it, Eds!"_

_His vision was blurry, he couldn't see the boy in front of him. He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again, desperate to see who was calling him that._

_Eds. That was his name, not his real name of course but he wanted it to be. He didn't want to be Eddie, he didn't want complicated and pain. He didn't want the emptiness and demons that came with Eddie. He just wanted to stay there, in the arms of the boy who calls him Eds. He wanted the blissful feeling of peace and love. He just wanted to be Eds._

He woke up to a new song; it was loud and obnoxious, he feels like an old man for saying that. To pass some time, he decided to read the magazines placed on the coffee table in front of him. Halfway through his third magazine, the doors busted open causing Eddie to look up from his paper. A guy with dark skin and dark shrivelled hair came in with a curly headed guy right behind him. Their eyes searched the room until it landed on Eddie. It made him feel nervous but when the two of them came running towards him, he couldn't help himself from standing up to meet them halfway.

Arms were suddenly around him, hugging him so tight that he couldn't breathe but he did nothing to stop them. Both of their smell hit him in the face, it made him smile. Tears streamed down his face, he didn't know why but he doesn't mind, they're crying as well. The guy with dark hair was the first to pull away, kissing his forehead again and again before hugging him tightly, he couldn't help but laugh. 

He may not know these two, nor does he know the name of this guy that has kissed him so many times on his forehead but he couldn't bring himself to care so much because with the pair of them crying softly against each his shoulder, he thinks that there might be a chance that he belongs perfectly with them. 

He never felt more at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy, some of you may have seen this chapter incomplete and i'm sorry for that, my laptop has been a fucking bitch. thank you for the support loves❤


	2. two

Mike Hanlon and Stanley Uris didn’t know what to expect once they arrive to Maine. It’s at least a four hour drive and the car was filled by nothing but silence. What exactly do you expect when your best friend comes back from the dead? What exactly do you do when your best friend, who was supposedly deceased, was actually at a nightmare nunnery/asylum this whole time? And what the fuck do you do when they don’t remember shit, especially so that you had some unfinished business before they ‘died’?

They didn’t think much of today; they woke up in each other arms, cooked up some breakfast and ate together, enjoying the silence before their friends bombard their home. It’s Friday which meant it is everybody’s day off, which also meant sleepover and movie night at the designated apartment (Bev and Ben’s).  Then Mike received a call asking them if they know _him_.

Eddie Kaspbrak.

Of course they knew him; they’ve been friends since they were children. The Losers Club is what they called themselves, _they_ meaning all seven of them. It started with Stan and Richie Tozier, they knew each other ever since they could walk. They met Bill Denbrough and Eddie at the playground when they were six, bumped into Mike during one of Richie’s shenanigans, saved by Beverly Marsh when they were almost caught from the said shenanigan and saved Ben Hanscom when he was being bullied for being the new kid. They were all inseparable; from the school to the arcade or the quarry, only separating when they go into their perspective houses. They were all there for each other. They were all there for Eddie.

They were there when Eddie found out about his mother’s antics, when he was struggling about his sexuality and when he finally admitted it to himself. They were there when he and Richie confronted their feelings for each other and when they would fight. They were there for _The Fight_. Especially, for the aftermath. Eddie was nowhere to be found and Richie didn’t speak a word. It was three weeks of radio silence from the two of them; the rest didn’t really know what to do so they just stayed out of their way. It was Richie who broke the ice, asked Beverly and Stan to go to a party with him and ‘forget’ as he said. And so they went with him, Richie drank and drank and danced and drank. It was going well, aside from the fact that their friend would have a killer hangover in the morning, but then Richie saw _him,_ the guy who ruined everything. It was messy and so full of range that it took almost four guys to pull him back from killing the guy then words were thrown in the air.

That was when they learned the truth.

They called up the others and went straight to Eddie’s house. They knew that Sonia took sleeping pills when she goes to sleep, that was why Richie never had a problem climbing into Eddie’s window every night and never had to worry about making too much noise. They yelled for him to open his window, that they know the truth and want to know why he said what he said. They threw rocks and climbed the tree to knock on Eddie’s window. They were probably there for roughly two hours before the neighbors threatened to call the police and so with heavy hearts, they went home and decided to confront their friend later on the day.

Then, their worlds came crashing down.

Later on that day, they went to the Kaspbrak’s in order to confront Eddie about the things he’s done. They walked up the porch and knocked on the door, it was Sonia who answered; once she saw their faces, she was enraged. She rambled on and on about how they manipulated and infected her precious little boy, “You hooligans tainted my innocent Eddie-bear, you ruined him!” Then out of nowhere, she pushed Richie of the front porch, making him lose his balance and fall on the ground, “It’s because of you! You make my Eddie sick! Because of you, he’s gone and he’s never coming back.” She was sobbing all of the sudden, crying about how her child. “My Eddie is dead! DEAD, I tell you, Cancer took him!” and with that, she slammed the door on their faces.

No one moved. No one wanted to believe what the crazy bitch said because it couldn’t be true, right? He couldn’t be dead; Eddie Kaspbrak didn’t die of cancer, right? Wrong, because a few days after what she said, they held a funeral. The six of them weren’t allowed to attend, as per Sonia’s request. Regardless, they went to his tombstone after the ceremony, all of them except for Richie. He didn’t believe that his boyfriend was dead, “He’s not dead, Stan! I know it, he was okay the last time we saw him! He’s not dead, Eddie is not dead.”

They all went to New York two weeks after what happened, like they all planned before that shit storm. They moved to the apartments they’ve wanted and went to the schools they got into. The first month in NYC was hard, especially for Richie. He was living in the apartment Eddie picked out for them, attending the school he and Eddie got into and sleeping in the bed they were planning to break in. It took months before he could function normally, he wasn’t sad but he wasn’t happy either. Richie was just numb. For Stan, it was painful to see him like that. Sometimes, he can still catch him getting lost in his own little world when they happen to mention something that’s got to do with Eddie. It’s been three year and he still does it. Whenever he does, they wait for him to fall out of it; they tried to pull him out of it once and Richie ended up hitting Bill on the face.

It’s been three years since Eddie died, how would the others react when they bring him back?

“So, um who’s Mike Hanlon?” Eddie was still confused on what was happening, there are two boys and they only called up one.

“That would be me, Eddie.” The dark skinned boy told him, wiping the tears on his cheeks before smiling at him. “This is Stan.” He said introducing the curly haired boy beside him.

“Okay, uh, how exactly did I know you?” It was logical to ask that right? He doesn’t know anything about his life maybe, these boys will enlighten him. He doesn’t mean to hurt their feelings or anything but the way Stan’s face fell when he asked that question just broke his heart.

The two boys in front of him looked at each other before letting out a sigh, “How about we tell you on the way back to NYC, huh?” Mike said looking at him, looking for a sign of agreement. He nodded.

 

They met Dianne when Eddie was saying goodbye to her, she talked to Mike and Stan regarding on what to do when Eddie was having an anxiety attack, which as she said, rarely happens but when it does, it quiet hard to calm him down and pull him out of it. She also gave him a list of his prescriptions and a few reminders on how to act around him as Eddie was still in the recovering stage, he’s quiet fragile.

Stan was sat beside Eddie in the back of the car, babbling about the shit they’ve done in high school. It made Mike smile at how happy Stan was to accompany Eddie and tell him of their mischievous ways. He knew that Stan and Eddie were quiet close especially so when they became teenagers. When Eddie was gone, everyone lost a piece on them but only Mike saw Stan’s true struggle with what happened. He didn’t talk or vent, he just cried and cried; no words were spoken, only thankful words from Stan for Mike being there for him.

Stan shot up with a memory, “Oh, there was the time that this girl from our school told you that you’d never look good in your ‘girly’ clothes, she said that because you topped her outfit that day, by the way.” Mike smiled, remembering that day. He remembered how much Beverly wanted to bash the girl’s head in but Eddie calmly told her no and that he’ll deal with it.

“She was this popular chic who thinks she owns everything she walks on, but you being the gay chaotic ball of mess that you are, simply told her, ‘We’ll see about that, honey.’ Then the next day, you showed up wearing that fucking slutty-” Eddie exclaimed with a big smile on his face, “No!”

“Yes, it was outfit that you used to wear whenever you- I mean, Everyone was fucking drooling all over themselves, and you got into trouble for violating the school dress code but you said it was worth it when you saw the look on her face.” Stan finished with a smile.

Eddie sat back and sighed, “Wow, I was out of control, wasn’t I?” Mike just smiled at him and said, “You were.”

“Are you guys together?” He asked, slightly hesitating.

“Yeah, we are.” Stan answered for the two of them.

“How long?”

“About four years now, almost five.”

Eddie looked down at his hands before asking, “Do you mind telling me? About you guys, I mean.”

“Of course, Eddie.”

 

* * *

 

 

_Music was playing in the small room he’s in, horrible 80’s disco music._

_“How dare you call my music horrible? I thought you loved me, Eddie Spaghetti!”_

_It was that voice again; the one that calls him Eds. The one that made him feel like he could do anything, the one that made his heart explode. There he was, the boy he’s been dreaming about for months on end. Eddie still couldn’t see him but compared to his other dreams, the silhouette was sharper this time, more detailed. He could see that the boy had curly hair and a sharp jaw, he could make out his lanky figure that was sitting on his window. He almost missed the cigarette in between his fingers and could practically smell it from where he was sitting._

_“Shut the fuck up, will you? I never said it was the music that was horrible; I said you had shitty taste.”_

_“That’s the fucking same you asshole!”_

_“No, I was insulting you and not the music.” Eddie said, laughing slightly. The music wasn’t all that bad, it gave him a sense of security and safety. He wondered what the title was and if he ever heard it before._

_That’s the thing with these dreams Eddie keeps having, he doesn’t know for certain if they’re memories or just dreams because he’s been lonely for so long. He wishes they were real, that they actually happened. He wishes that he could go back to that time because there, in his dreams, he never felt happier and when he wakes up, it’s replaced by hollowness._

_He lunged at him, “You little shit, come here.”_

_He was on top of him, he could feel his large hands on his waist and the warmth of his body as he was torturing Eddie to ‘give it up’. “Give it up, you fucker! Come on say it, I have wonderful taste in music.” He yelled as he tickled Eddie until he asked for mercy. They laid down beside each other, with the boy’s arm underneath Eddie’s head and the music playing on the background as the cigarette smoke fills the air. They stayed there for a few minutes before different song played; different from the ones before. A crowd of cheering breaks the speakers before the soft tune of a guitar filled their ears. The boy stood up, throwing his cigarette away before pulling Eddie up from where he was laying._

_“Come on, Eds. It’s my favorite song. Dance with me.”_

_And so they dance, they swayed against the soft beat of the song as he sang along the words. His arms were wrapped around his waist while Eddie had his arms around his neck as they move around the bedroom floor. Even facing each other, Eddie couldn’t see the boy he was dancing with but with how he’s feeling at the moment, he didn’t care to complain._

_“I, I will be king. And you, you will be queen. Though nothing will drive them away.” He turned Eddie around, his back against his chest and his arms around his waist. He felt lips below his ear before continuing to sing. “We can be heroes, just for one day. We can be us, just for one day.”_

_He sighed, resting himself against the boy’s front. Their hips moved slowly against the beat. If this wasn’t his past, Eddie wished for this moment to be his future. He didn’t think he could ever achieve such peace but here they are. It was his own little heaven on earth._

_The song was ending when the boy turned him around, “Eds” he breathes out._

_“Yeah?” He looked up at him and there it was; beautiful brown, kaleidoscope like eyes. Eddie wished he could just stay in this dream for the rest of his life, with this boy who had the universe inside his eyes and angel like voice.  He took the face into his hand, making him look at Eddie. “Hey, what is it?”_

_He saw him lick his lips before he took a deep breath. “Don’t hate me.”_

* * *

 

 

 “He fell asleep on me, what an asshole.” Stan sighed with a smile on his face, “That is so like him.”

Mike smiled at his boyfriend, “He must have been tired, look at the bags underneath his eyes.” All while Eddie is alive and well, he didn’t look healthy. He used to do track back in Derry so his body was lean and curvy; he was so happy with his body, Mike can still remember him walking towards them in the morning wearing the outfit he’s been longing to wear and a bright smile on his face. Now he was skinny, bony almost. His before tan skin was so much paler usual, he had scars on his temples and a few on his wrists that looked like cuts. Mike just wishes that it won’t be difficult for Eddie to adjust with what is going to be his living situation.

“We didn’t even get to Richie.”

With that sentence, Mike met his boyfriend’s eyes against the mirror before letting out a sigh, “Maybe it’s for the best, for now.”

Dianne told them to be careful on what they reveal to Eddie; that they should keep the major things in his life for him to remember. Forcing him to remember the big steps in life that he made may add stress to his brain and as she says, “It won’t be good for him and he might end up back in the hospital. It may have been seven months ago but the brain is very sensitive and it hasn’t fully recovered.” That’s why they stuck to the happy and fun moments that they had. Richie and Eddie’s relationship is a big step in Eddie’s life; it pushed him to stand his ground, disobey his mother’s absurd rules, be confident on who he was and love himself. It would be wrong for them to keep the relationship to themselves, but it’s for his own good. Of course their relationship was a big impact, mostly good but there are bad parts within it.

“How do you think the others are going to react?” Stan said with worry stringed in his voice. Mike has been worrying about the same thing. For the past three years, everybody did their best to adjust with Eddie’s absence. They don’t really know if this Eddie would fit into the hole in their hearts, he seems so different; distant.

“I don’t know, Love. But look, this is Eddie; our best friend. I’m certain everyone will welcome him with open arms.” Mike said trying to positive of this whole situation. He knows it’ll be a mess once they go back to New York.

Stan sighed, “Mikey, we haven’t really fixed what happened three years ago, we still don’t know what happened nor do we know why he said those things. And it doesn’t really help that he has amnesia, God knows what the fuck they did to him there. I just, I’m just scared for Eddie.”

“I know I am, too but we have to remember that none of the things he said we’re true. You know that, the others know that. It may be hard to accommodate the fact that Eddie is alive but fuck, Stan, _he’s alive!_ I think that’s much more important than the shit he said years ago.”

Stan reached for his hand and gave it a kiss, “You’re right. I’m probably over-thinking this; I don’t know what I’d do without you, Mikey.” Mike smiled at him and jokingly said, “Probably spiral”

When they arrived in New York, it was a few minutes past nine. They ate dinner at the car after driving past a McDonald’s drive thru, having a few pit stops here and there to use the bathroom and for Stan and Mike to switch driving. Throughout the four hour drive, Both of Stan and Mike’s phones have been ringing non-stop that they both turned it off. Eddie asked who was calling and why didn’t they return it but they simply just shrugged him and told him that they’d explain when they arrive.

Mike took Eddie’s suitcase, walking behind the two boys as they make their way into the couple’s apartment.

“Mike, you locked the door, right?” Stan asked, turning around to face his boyfriend.

“Of course, I did.”

The door was already open when they got there; Mike pushed the two boys behind him, quietly dropping Eddie’s suitcase on the ground by the door as they made their way inside the apartment.

“Mike? Stan? Is that you? Where the hell have you guys been?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> helloooo  
> im so sorry it took so long  
> follow me on tumblr if yall want @ericka-writes


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